These Lingering Shadows is a collection of fifteen gothic tales compiled by Last Waltz Publishing with a
little something for every flavor of horror fan—ghosts, witches, revenge,
vampires, haunted houses, demons—both literal and personal, and so much more.
“The Far Field” by Heather Miller -
a secret romance between a field worker and the field owner’s son, once sweet
soon becomes inconvenient and must be handled. Haunting, beautiful tale of
vengeance.
“Hallow House” by Jo Kaplan – Sixty years ago on
Halloween night, Jordan’s friends went missing after a dare gone wrong. Now as
an elderly man of 72, he is going back to Hollow House to find his friends.
Dizzyingly creepy and unsettling!
“Nory’s” by Michael J. Moore – An old-timer out
for his daily stroll overhears a group of teens sharing an outlandish tale
about the creepy origins of local pizzeria. When he arrives at the pizzeria to
share the laughable gossip with his friend who owns it, he gets the shock of
his life.
“Behold, Death Arrives, A Duet of Ash and
Fang” by Jae Mazer- Vero lives with her dead sister and feeds a monster in the
woods to gain its loyalty to exact revenge for her family.
“Hell Hath No Fury” by Diana Olney –
After receiving a bouquet of roses from her ex-lover, Claire is ill at ease. Dark,
heart-wrenching, haunting with an unexpected ending.
“A Halloween Ghost Story” by Christy Aldridge – After
teenage Kenzie is grounded after a drunk driving incident by her parents she is
forced to stay home on Halloween and can’t go inside until she gives out every
single piece of candy. If she runs out of candy before a particular
trick-or-treater arrives, things will not go well for Kenzie. A creepy good campfire-type
tale.
“Mine” by Matt Scott- A
power-obsessed man is intent on building his mansion, to his exacting
specifications and disregard for the lives of his workers, in the town that
bears his name. The townspeople are fed up and want him gone, by any means
necessary. Years pass, and the mansion is associated with numerous deaths, when
a descendent of the original owner takes ownership of the mansion. The past meets
the future of one family with a violent explosive result.
“The Dare” by Tony Evans - Tim, the
new boy in town, takes a dare to walk through every room of the rumored to be
haunted Baily House. The prize—a date with Gina! Footprints in the house lead
Tim to believe that others have taken the dare before him, and he’s not sure
what he will find inside.
“Cries of the Night” by Guy
Quintero – Matilda is forced to serve her drunken father’s wishes and take his
abuse without complaint. On her nightly chore to fetch his ale, she is captivated
by a stranger who kidnaps her. A life-changing event bonds her to a being who
seeks to avenge her innocence to those who have wronged her.
“The Feeding” by D.E. Grant- Selene
is born into a line of witches and offered up as a sacrifice to the vampires by
her mother, a powerful mage. Now a powerful Witch Vampire hybrid, she seeks to
create a clan of her own kind. A vampire and witch war erupts and only one side
can win.
“Belladonna’s Curse” by Danielle Manx - Grace is
a witch whose cancer hasn’t responded to traditional or holistic treatments.
Next best plan is a body switching spell on Halloween with a guest of her
B&B who has issues of his own.
“Devlin’s Manse” by Daemon Manx - Devlin's
Manse, a once beautiful Victorian house, is in dire need of renovation due to
decades of vacancy. When workers come into the house and begin to work and
bring it back to its former glory, the lives of inhabitants James and Mary
become more threatened.
“Flesh and Chocolate” by James G. Carlson – Felix
has been looking forward to Halloween night and going trick-or-treating with
his older brother Parker and his friend Tig, much to their dismay. Eager to be
one of the treated like one of the older kids, he follows their plan to go trick-or-treating
in the rich area of town. When bullies steal Felix’s candy, he encounters a
stranger and makes a bargain with her—she gets the bullies and he gets a wish
granted, one that yields sweet results.
“Riding the Ghost
Train” by Jack Wells - An affluent, but angry drunkard has sunk to a new low—he
has now struck his wife in front of their children. In shame and remorse, he
has exiled himself to the family cabin to detox alone —so he believes. Is he
going insane from alcohol deprivation or is he really losing his mind? Very
creepy and atmospheric story.
“A Dream of Dead Leaves” by Jeremy
Megargee – Years after her sister Fiona has taken her own life in a haunted
house on Halloween night, Olive enters the house seeking a connection to her
sister and is met with dreams of Fiona beckoning her to an unending Halloween.
Haunting and heartbreaking.
This anthology was excellent, and I really loved how the stories
were arranged to achieve the maximum emotional impact on the reader. Heather Miller’s story “The Far Field,” “Hell
Hath No Fury” by Diana Olney, Daemon Manx’s story “Devlin’s Manse,” and Jeremy
Megargee’s “A Dream of Dead Leaves” were emotional gut punches that hit me
especially hard. I also loved how the Halloween-themed stories, “A Halloween
Ghost Story” by Christy Aldridge and “Flesh and Chocolate” by James G. Carlson
were also spread out through the book along with the haunted house stories, “Hallow
House”, “Mine,” and “The Dare” were sprinkled throughout so as not to lose
their effect. They were perfectly placed. I absolutely LOVED “Behold, Death
Arrives, A Duet of Ash and Fang” by Jae Mazer. Last Waltz Publishing knocked
this anthology out of the park and I look forward to their next outing.
5/5 Stars
Thank you to Last Waltz Publishing for providing me with an
eArc for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions of this work are my own.